I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to longitudinal slats for vehicle luggage carriers and, in particular, to an insulator construction for longitudinal slats adapted to be disposed between the load-bearing slat body and the vehicle surface in order to prevent damage to the surface and to provide added support for the slat.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Longitudinal support slats are widely used in luggage carriers to form a load-bearing surface within the luggage rack and prevent damage to the paint surface of either the vehicle roof or rear deck. The slats are generally mounted in parallel, longitudinal arrangement in order to minimize wind resistance by allowing air flow across the vehicle surface beneath the luggage. Typically, such slats include an elongated slat body constructed of chrome-metal and an insulator disposed between the metal body and the vehicle surface. The insulator may be planar such that it extends beneath the entire slat body or may merely follow the peripheral configuration of the body. Mounting screws extending through the slat body and the insulator secure the slat to the surface.
In a typical construction, the insulator provides a water-tight seal while preventing metal-to-metal contact between the slat body and the vehicle surface. Any load support is provided strictly by the structural configuration and strength of the slat body. Many different configurations have been adapted to improve strength and aerodynamics resulting in increased manufacturing costs. In addition, the past known slats have been designed to be mounted to substantially flat surfaces such as the rear deck or roof of the vehicle. Thus, a longitudinal slat having a simple body construction for ease of manufacture yet has sufficient structural strength to support extreme loads is needed.